Daniel Stuart Ayres (16 August 1986 – 1 February 2020) was a
speedway
Speedway may refer to:
Racing Race tracks
*Daytona International Speedway, a race track in Daytona Beach, Florida.
*Edmonton International Speedway, also known as Speedway Park, a former motor raceway in Edmonton, Alberta.
*Indianapolis Motor Spe ...
rider who rode in Great Britain.
Career
Ayres began his career in
motocross
Motocross is a form of off-road motorcycle racing held on enclosed off-road circuits. The sport evolved from motorcycle trials competitions held in the United Kingdom.
History
Motocross first evolved in Britain from motorcycle trials competi ...
and converted to speedway relatively late, in 2014. He rode for various teams, including
Kent Kings
The Kent Eagles (formerly the Kent Kings and Kent Royals) are a British motorcycle speedway team formed in 2013. They currently race in the 2025 National Trophy, based at the Iwade Speedway.
History Origins & 2010s
Kent Kings joined th ...
King's Lynn Stars
King's Lynn Stars are a motorcycle speedway team who compete in the SGB Premiership. The nickname "Stars" was adopted from the defunct Norwich Stars team. The team was founded in 1965 and has been running continually since then, except for 199 ...
,
Leicester Lions
Leicester Lions are a speedway team which originally operated from 1968 until 1983Bamford, R & Jarvis J.(2001). ''Homes of British Speedway''. and again from 2011. The team race at the Beaumont Park Stadium (or Hydroscand Arena for sponsorsh ...
,
Redcar Bears
The Redcar Bears are a British motorcycle speedway team who compete in the SGB Championship (second tier of the British speedway leagues). The club was founded in 2006 and their major team honour to date is the SGB Championship Knockout Cup wi ...
, and
Scunthorpe Scorpions
The Scunthorpe Scorpions are a motorcycle speedway team in the British SGB Championship. They have raced at various times since 1971, at three different venues.
History Origins and 1970s
Speedway in Scunthorpe began on 3 May 1971 at the ...
. He and Ben Morley were National League Pairs champions in 2015, and Ayres came second in the 2015 National League Riders' Championship.
The final official averages of 2019 gave Danny Ayres an average of 5.51 on the Scunthorpe Scorpions
Championship
In sport, a championship is a competition in which the aim is to decide which individual or team is the champion.
Championship systems
Various forms of competition can be referred to by the term championship.
Title match system
In this sys ...
team.
He was injured in a
National League
National League often refers to:
*National League (baseball), one of the two baseball leagues constituting Major League Baseball in the United States and Canada
*National League (division), the fifth division of the English football (soccer) system ...
match in August 2019, breaking his left
tibia
The tibia (; : tibiae or tibias), also known as the shinbone or shankbone, is the larger, stronger, and anterior (frontal) of the two Leg bones, bones in the leg below the knee in vertebrates (the other being the fibula, behind and to the outsi ...
. He did not ride again competitively until January 2020. At the time of his death, according to SpeedwayGB, "he aspreparing for the forthcoming season with Premiership Ipswich itchesand Scunthorpe corpionsin the Championship."
Death
Ayres died in February 2020 of
suicide
Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death.
Risk factors for suicide include mental disorders, physical disorders, and substance abuse. Some suicides are impulsive acts driven by stress (such as from financial or ac ...
. In the ''
East Anglian Daily Times
The ''East Anglian Daily Times'' is a British local newspaper for Suffolk and Essex, based in Ipswich.
History
The newspaper began publication on 13 October 1874, incorporating the ''Ipswich Express'', which had been published since 13 August ...
'', written after Ayres' death, he was described as being "hugely popular with speedway folk throughout the country for his all-action style." Various people paid tribute, including
Scott Nicholls
Scott Karl Nicholls (born 16 May 1978) is an English motorcycle speedway rider, who has won the British Championship seven times,Cradley Heathens, and
Peterborough Panthers
The Peterborough Panthers were a British motorcycle speedway team based in Peterborough, England from 1970 to 2023. They were three times List of United Kingdom speedway league champions, champions of the United Kingdom, winning the highest lev ...
.
No cause of death was announced at the time, but immediately after his death, his partner described it as him having "lost his battle" and encouraged anyone struggling with their mental health to seek help.
At his funeral, on 14 February, the hearse made a final lap of the Mildenhall Fen Tigers' track.